5 Tips for Relationship Selling with Salesforce [2023]

Any consulting veteran can tell you that a huge part of the job entails building long-lasting relationships with clients. Consulting firms that are able to deliver an intentional and seamless customer experience have the opportunity to win more clients, generate more revenue, and sign longer retainers. This is where relationship selling comes in.

Relationship selling is the art of focusing on building relationships first and selling a product or service second. The goal may be to sell, but the best path to do so isn’t to sell but rather to build a connection, gain trust, and ultimately develop long-term customer relationships that go far beyond your first contract.

UpHabit’s Salesforce-integrated solution aims to help make sales and marketing teams exceptional networkers that can build and maintain these valuable customer relationships. And in doing so, UpHabit can help close more deals and foster more repeat customers. But UpHabit can’t do all the work itself – it needs great salespeople and marketers to leverage its amazing features! So, we came up with 5 tips for relationship selling with Salesforce that any great team should be trying.

Relationship selling is all about building trust and rapport with customers. Trust is the cornerstone of any sales transaction; customers have to trust you, your company, and your product. So how do you build this trust while still focusing on the end goal of closing the deal? You use your most important asset and invest your time into developing this trust.

One of the best ways to build trust from the start is connecting with your potential clients via mutual connections. We are far more likely to try a product or service our trusted friend or acquaintance recommends and has done business with. But what if you already have a relationship with your prospect, connecting them with a reference account can let your satisfied customers help you. All of this can take up valuable time, but of course, UpHabit can help you make it an effortless process alongside Salesforce.

If this isn’t an option, showing that you are an expert in your business is another great way to establish trust. Guiding your client reliably to a viable solution and away from costly mistakes will demonstrate your expertise and that you have their best interests in mind. This may take time and effort, but at the end of the day, it will sow the seeds for a valuable, long-term customer.

Building customer and prospect customer relationships involves reaching out and staying in touch with them on a regular basis. There is no right way to do so, as some customers may prefer email or social media while others may value conversations in person or over the phone. Tailoring your approach to fit the customers is the first step. Most importantly, don’t wait for customers to come to you – proactively reach out and keep the conversation going.

When reaching out, don’t just focus on business and selling your product or service. Make sure to show interest in their business and express your willingness to help them. One effective way to reach out and stay in touch is to provide valuable content that is relevant to their needs and interests. This could include articles, blog posts (such as this one :), newsletters, or other resources that provide helpful information and insights.

Relationship selling is all about understanding your customer’s needs, pain points, and goals. Asking the right questions and providing them the opportunity to give feedback are the first steps to developing this understanding. Once customers start to talk, the most important step happens – listening. This not only means being fully present and focused but also asking clarifying questions and actually using the information they give you.

This tip applies beyond the sale. Finding new clients is central to business growth but maintaining a loyal client base is the key to a sustainable business. When reaching out to customers or clients, listen to them and identify issues they may be facing. If any problems do arise, make solving them your priority, especially before trying to sell anything. By listening, you may not only gain valuable insights about your customer but also about your product or services. Ongoing improvements show customers that they matter and are being listened to.

Building trust and being attentive are great ways to develop your relationships with prospects, as mentioned previously. But going beyond that and creating a personal connection is priceless for creating long-term customers. To do so, it’s important to remember that no two customers are the same. This goes beyond just their business needs – they may have different expectations, beliefs, or ways of doing business.

To truly stand out and create a repeat customer, make sure your relationship-selling approach is tailored to each individual. This can mean asking questions from the start to find shared interests, experiences, and hobbies. Connecting with your customers on this level will add a personal touch to your professional relationships. By having strong personal relationships with your clients, they’ll be more likely to work with you again and even recommend you to their peers.

Relationship selling is all about putting the customer first. When building a relationship, you should be learning all about them and understanding what they need and want. This doesn’t have to be limited to selling your product to solve their problems. It can range from introducing them to people in your network that can help them, to simply providing them with different perspectives and options.

The end goal is to show that you can put their needs above yours. Not only does this build trust with your prospect, but it also develops a two-way relationship in which you are valuable to each other – this is how long-term relationships start and succeed.

1. Beautiful iOS & Android mobile and desktop web app
2. Get 10X more contacts into Salesforce from the companies you’re already talking to
3. Get dozens more activities per contact logged into Salesforce
4. Help team members really thrive in relationship selling with our:

• • Flexible fixed and rolling reminders
  • Infinite tagging capabilities
  • Unlimited note-taking abilities
  • Personal message templates
  • Automated contact discovery from calendars, contacts, and email

Book a demo at www.uphabit.com to learn how we can help your consulting business grow!